537 Top Doctors in San Diego 2012

Medical Specialties

• Allergy and Immunology
• Anesthesiology
• Cardiac Electrophysiology
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Critical Care Medicine
• Dermatology
• Emergency Medicine
• Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism
• Family Medicine
• Gastroenterology
• Geriatric Medicine
• Hand Surgery
• Hematology
• Hospice and Palliative Medicine
• Infectious Disease
• Internal Medicine
• Interventional Cardiology
• Maternal and Fetal Medicine
• Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
• Nephrology
• Neurology
• Neuroradiology
• Neurosurgery
• Nuclear Medicine
• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Occupational Medicine
• Oncology
• Opthalmology
• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Otolaryngology
• Pain Medicine
• Pathology
• Pediatric Hematology-Oncology
• Pediatric Neurology
• Pediatric Subspecialties
• Pediatrics
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Plastic Surgery
• Psychiatry
• Public Health and General Preventative Medicine
• Pulmonary Disease
• Radiation Oncology
• Radiology
• Rheumatology
• Sleep Medicine
• Sports Medicine
• Surgery
• Surgical Critical Care
• Thoracic Surgery
• Urology
• Vascular and Interventional Radiology
• Vascular Surgery

Top Docs 2012: “Physicians of Exceptional Excellence”

The San Diego County Medical Society (SDCMS), working collaboratively with San Diego Magazine for nine years now, has continued and will continue to evolve our process for identifying those board-certified physicians within the county who are held in highest regard by their peers.

Measures of quality in healthcare are complex, varying by user and by intent. San Diego County’s physicians and patients alike understand that no process for identifying our communities’ many “top doctors”—however carefully constructed—will be without its limitations.

Our voting process, which has always been and will remain transparent, is the following: Any board-certified physician in San Diego may vote for any board-certified doctors who practice within San Diego County to whom they would refer their patients and family members. Recognizing that physicians often know more about those in other specialties to whom we refer our patients, SDCMS has evolved our process from allowing physicians to vote only within their specialties, to allowing them to vote across specialties. Voting is open to all physicians, not just members of the Medical Society.

In 2012, more than 1,000 physicians voted and one in 20 physicians was peer-selected. Each selectee was then reviewed by SDCMS to confirm his or her board certification, Medical Board of California standing, and current practice status.

This year’s process resulted in 537 physicians being honored by their peers. This list, which is by no means complete —most physicians are excellent highly competent doctors and are not on it— should be used carefully as a guide (recognized through one process and as one factor only) when choosing one for your own needs. The best choice of a physician for a given patient may include patient-specific factors and intangibles that are best discussed with your personal doctor when a referral is needed. Nurses and other healthcare professionals can add insight into selecting a well-respected physician who best suits your individual needs.

None of this should detract, however, from the recognition that those on this list fully deserve. These individuals have been identified by their peers as physicians to whom they would entrust the care of their own family members and patients. Among these honorees, 49 have been recognized by their peers in eight of the past 10 years, 26 have been recognized nine of the past 10 years and eight have been recognized in all 10 years. There is no greater compliment one can receive from one’s colleagues!

We encourage all San Diego County physicians to participate in their county and state medical societies as we work toward the SDCMS vision—“Physicians United for a Healthy San Diego.”

Congratulations to all the doctors honored!

Sherry Franklin, MD
President, San Diego County Medical Society

Read advice from our Top Docs here »